Less rough sleepers in contact with services

The number of new rough sleepers contacted on the streets by
outreach workers in London has fallen by 20 per cent over the past
three years, according to figures published today,writes Maria Ahmed.

Annual rough sleeping figures, published in a report by
homelessness charity Broadway, showed that 1,402 new people were
contacted on the streets during 2004-5, compared to 1,763 in
2002.

But the report also indicated that a third of those who had been
contacted by outreach teams were not moving off the streets.

The report said: “Although some rough sleepers are
successfully assisted to make a sustained move from the streets, or
find their own route away, for others achieving this move remains a
difficult process.

“People are continuing to arrive on the streets in London
and some return to the streets despite being previously linked into
services. This presents a continued challenge for those working
with rough sleepers.”

The report also found that a third of people leaving hostels and
permanent tenancies did so because of eviction.

Howard Sinclair, chief executive of Broadway, said: “We
must not be complacent. We need to understand why people are
evicted to get them to below a third, and we need to focus our
attention on getting persistent rough sleepers, whose needs are
particularly complex, off the streets.”